A Stitch In Time
by alooriana
Summary: .. WC3, kael x jaina .. A journey through the friendship that develops between the two during their tenure at Dalaran- and beyond. One would never think that, whilst being a student of books and arcana, you'd have to learn so much about life.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: **I've wanted to write something along these lines for this pairing for a long time (because there's so _little_ on them), so here it finally is- if there's any errors in the lore, don't kill me. We're allowed, uh... creative license, right?

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kael'thas could still remember the very day he first laid eyes on Jaina Proudmoore. Funnily enough, it had been a chance meeting, both just happening upon the same place at the same time.

Part of the princes' morning routine at Dalaran was to take a walk in the morning after meditation to make sure that any distracting thoughts were clear from his head, as the art of practicing the arcane required more than just a passing concentration- that much he could be sure of. For Dalaran, it was a particularly warm morning to say the least and it appeared it would only grow hotter as the sun was just barely peaking over the top of the mountains in the distance, a portent of things to come. As the sun slowly rose during his stroll, the sky began to set alight, darkened embers giving way to long, fiery flames spanning the entire horizon, a sight the elf had never grown tired of seeing in all of his years here. For some strange reason, it reminded him of home.

He took the same path every morning, timed exactly right so that he might be able to see the sunrise (if one happened to occur) - out from the dormitories, down the winding stone path circling around the library that was situated right in the center of Dalaran, past the meeting hall of the Kirin Tor and then through the immaculately tended gardens. It was just as he had been passing one of the sitting areas, mostly fenced off by hedges for privacy that he happened upon the girl would begin to change his life more than he'd feel comfortable admitting.

At first he had thought that perhaps he was seeing things, as it wasn't often he met someone else out this early, but on second glance he realized that she was very much real and had yet to notice his approach. On the contrary, she seemed to be absorbed in thoughts of her own, hunched over on the bench she was sitting on so that her flaxen hair obscured her face from view. From co-existing with the humans for longer than he cared to remember, he knew enough about body language to deduce that something was probably troubling the female and his curiosity got the better of him. Finding his legs moving of his own accord, he neared her slowly and the girl still failed to realize that he was there. Kael began to wonder if this was such a good idea after all- but he was surprised to hear his voice speak out without his consent.

"Are you quite alright, milady?" He found himself asking, voice suitably quiet as not to startle her. Of course, decorum in conduct dictated that he should inquire.

At Kael's question, the woman's head shot up and she looked more than a little shocked, having thought that she was alone; blue eyes wide, mouth open slightly in an 'O' of surprise. As realization slowly dawned on her, however, her cheeks began to tinge a lovely red in embarrassment and she quickly closed her mouth, trying to erase the previous expression.

There was a slight pause as the prince was momentarily lost for words, something which didn't happen to him often- in fact, he prided himself on his eloquence and charisma. For some reason, though, he had nothing he could say.

He'd never seen anything so beautiful.

"I-I'm fine, thank you. Just a little preoccupied with my thoughts." The vision stammered at first- and then, added an afterthought. "I'm sorry for troubling you."

The ability to form words appeared to have returned to Kael, for which he was inwardly relieved. However, now there was both his curiosity to satisfy and… something he couldn't quite describe. "I assure you, it's of no consequence. Would it be too bold of me to inquire as to what was absorbing you so?"

The young blonde shifted slightly on the bench and looked a little uncomfortable, making Kael immediately regret his decision to ask- but much to his surprise, the corners of her lips eventually quirked upwards in a wry smile.

The prince held his breath.

"Ah- to tell the truth, it's my first day attending here," She explained slowly, the red of embarrassment still flushing her cheeks slightly at her folly. She had no idea who this man was, but there was something about him that told her that she probably should. "I'm just worried I'm going to get a little… lost. This place is so big."

Now it was Kael's turn to smile warmly, a hand extending slowly towards the mystery woman as he took a short step forward.

"Say no more. Might I be so privileged as to give you a quick tour to help you with your bearings, Miss…?"

She looked uncertainly at him for a second, her brow creasing for the briefest moment before she carefully got up from her bench. Finally placing her own lithe hand on his outstretched palm, she gave a small smile.

"Jaina. Jaina Proudmoore. And you, sir…?"

Now, _that _was a surprise. Proudmoore? Then… of course, the daughter of the Admiral? He'd no idea.

Kael almost forgot that a question had been posed to him, having been so distracted by the feeling of her small hand in his- even the very touch sent an electric shiver up through his arm and down his spine. Remembering himself and the decorum that was appropriate for a lady of –now he knew- status, he inclined his head slightly in her direction.

Never before had he encountered a human woman that had affected him so in such a short period of time.

"Kael'thas Sunstrider," He informed her, amusement glinting in his eyes as he watched the surprise spread across Jaina's face. "But my friends and colleagues call me Kael. If you pardon me, milady, I can't stand formalities."

… and before the fact that she was being led through the grounds of Dalaran by a prince could sink in, he had whisked her past the bench and down the path, thoroughly intending on fulfilling his promise of a tour.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

A year had passed since that fateful meeting- one excruciating, exciting and lengthy year.

Over the time that had slipped away, the young mage and Kael had become close friends through their shared love for magic and zest for the arcane, spending a great deal of their spare time with each other either buried in books in Dalaran's massive library, or engaged in heated arguments about a particular aspect of their studies.

Slowly, Kael had grown to treasure every moment he spent with the girl- no matter how often they got hot-headed with each other over their disagreements or how much they rejected the validity of the other's opinion.

In fact, it had been a cold day in September when he had been waiting at their usual alcove in the library, only to look up and see Jaina run towards him- flaxen hair mussed, cheeks slightly red from the temperature and her chest heaving from the exercise she'd just gotten- that he suddenly realized.

Jaina wasn't just a friend.

She wasn't just a colleague, either.

He had fallen in love with her.

Desperate not to show any weakness to her friend, she had merely run her fingers through her hair a few times to flatten it and mumbled an apology for being late as she'd overslept, but Kael could do nothing but stare. This caused Jaina to frown slightly at him as she slid into the opposite seat, dumping her books on the table with a loud '_thump_'.

"What, do I have something on my face?"

The notion quickly dawned on him that staring was, in fact, rude, and the prince quickly averted his eyes back to his textbook in some miniscule hope that the words might distract him from the rather flooring epiphany he'd just experienced.

"Not at all," He murmured, deciding not to look up should he be unable to stop himself from doing it again. "You just made a dramatic entrance."

"Kael! Don't tease." Jaina admonished, flipping open her own book and leaning over it. Obviously, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her. "Sometimes _you're_ sluggish to rise too. I remember that one time—"

The prince merely raised an eyebrow as he pretended to ignore her. He couldn't look up. Couldn't look up.

Exasperated, Jaina resigned herself to her work. "Oh, fine, then! Today must be your reclusive day-of-the-week. Forgive me for bothering you, _your highness._"

Then silence fell between them as they leafed through their respective texts and made notes, though work was only the foremost thought in one of their minds. Their exams were fast approaching, giving them even more cause to be in this library day after day- along with most other students at the academy- but Kael'thas knew that he was now distracted beyond repair. Nothing would be able to settle in his mind today but the visage of his friend.

Only when he was certain that Jaina was absorbed in reading (and he knew that once she got interested in something, the rest of the world around her dissolved as she concentrated) did he let his eyes dart upwards to look at her.

There was the slightest frown on her face as she studied her page, though her beautiful hair was now perfect even after the Olympic dash she'd just run. Jaina chewed her lip slightly as long fingers ran down the scriptures on the book and it was all Kael could do to restrain himself from reaching right across the table and taking them in his own hand- just like he had done a year ago.

The perfect curve of her face, her bright blue eyes, her feminine figure- he was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable in his seat for a number of reasons, including the fact that he felt a little guilty for thinking such things of his unsuspecting friend.

She was young. _So _young.

But, even knowing this, he couldn't help himself.

Such a wide gap between them… nothing could ever come of any sort of affection he held for her, but yet he still found her occupying his thoughts more than she should. It was irrational, and completely unsuited for a prince to not be in control of his faculties.

"What _now_? I really do have something on my face, don't I?"

Having been so absorbed in his own inner monologue, he hadn't realized that Jaina had stopped reading her book and was now looking straight at him, the small frown on her face once more.

"I…" Kael opened his mouth, fully intending to come out with a perfectly good explanation for why he couldn't take his eyes off of her, but instead he could only trail off. How could she do this to him?

Jaina looked expectant for the answer that was supposed to follow.

"I," The prince started again, his expression unreadable as his hands shut the book he was reading. "… have to go. I'm sorry, Jaina."

Confusion flickered across the girl's rosy face as Kael excused himself from the seat he had been occupying and exited the library, a complaint dying on his companion's lips.

What had gotten into him?

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He had hastily made his way back to his quarters in the housing wing of the Dalaran campus, not stopping once. After he had unlocked the door and let himself in, he paused for a moment, leaning against the heavy wood. What had just happened? Was he suddenly unable to spend any time in Jaina's presence, now?

But it was probably for the best- after all, should she suspect his feelings for her, then she might sever the connection between them altogether. Still…

A weary sigh escaped from Kael's lips as he righted himself and placed his books down on the armoire near the door, thankful to get rid of the extra burden. Now not only the upcoming exams were weighing on his mind (not that he was all _that_ worried about them, as most of the magic was so easy to him it seemed like child's play), but also the situation with his best friend.

Moving slowly over to the window next to the bed, he reached out and slid it open, leaning forward on his arms to view the grounds below. Fresh air usually helped him sort out thoughts that disagreed with him as the atmosphere of Dalaran always seemed heady with the arcane with so much student practice going on- but it didn't seem to help now, as many deep breaths as he took and as much as he tried to reason with himself.

Jaina was just a girl- a child by his own races' terms- and also the daughter of one of the most prominent figures in their allied society. How could he justify trying to initiate a relationship with her when there was such an obvious age gap between them? Outwardly, in appearance, they both looked _young_ , but the fact that he was at least 5 times her age was a nagging doubt at the back of his mind.

Not only that, but she had also been such a close friend over the past year that Kael wasn't sure that he was willing to risk what they had for something more, as much as he'd yearn for it. Perhaps he'd only just realized all of this- or maybe he had known for longer, and chosen to ignore it- but even so, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Everywhere he turned, he saw Jaina.

Jaina smiling, Jaina laughing, Jaina scowling at him for saying the wrong thing.

Jaina running, Jaina studying her oversized textbooks, Jaina leaning forward ever-so-closely to…

With a growl, Kael pushed himself away from the window frame, aggravated with himself for being so out of control. It was his duty as a future leader to his people that he should be able to deal with whatever should come his way. That he couldn't even keep a solid grip on his emotions towards this human irked him more than a little, his emotions torn between what he should and shouldn't do.

However, had he been paying a little more attention to the scenery he had previously been viewing, he would've seen a disturbingly familiar figure jogging down the very path that he had taken himself just a while before.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The _nerve!_ She was very well versed in Kael's behavior and knew that he could be incredibly stuck-up and full of self-importance at times, but she hadn't expected him to just up and leave her in the library without an explanation. As he had exited hurriedly, several heads had turned to her as if she had done something to make the prince leave- and after that, she had found it impossible to study with all the judgmental eyes that constantly turned her way.

No, the study session had been ruined. It was one of the consequences of befriending one of the more 'higher-ranked' students of Dalaran, though the fact that she herself had a status made it even more gossip-worthy. Jaina didn't have a clue what she had done to make him leave as if the very fires of hell were licking at his heels, but she looked a little like the devil's advocate herself as she purposefully navigated her way down the path she was almost sure Kael had taken.

He wasn't one to sulk in public, especially when there were always people of import that popped up at the most inopportune places in Dalaran, so the number of places where he could be hiding were limited to very few.

Normally, in these situations, he went and locked himself in his rooms. It wasn't as if this hadn't happened before, oh no. They were both naturally hot-headed people when they had their disagreements, tempers flaring to rival each other's. Whenever he got particularly angry, he just turned around and left without a word, whilst Jaina would be quite happy to continue the argument. The thought had occurred to her that he might do that because he was afraid he'd do something if he got pushed too far, but she couldn't even see why he had left her alone this time.

She hadn't said anything controversial to him- in fact, she couldn't think of anything she'd done wrong recently, except being initially late to the library. Surely he wasn't so unpredictable now that even that could set him off?

Looking a little perturbed, she let herself into the residence of lodgings and stole up the stairs, absorbed in her own thoughts the whole time. It wasn't until she got halfway through the list of everything she and Kael had ever had an argument about that she realized she was standing in front of the large (_locked)_ wooden door that was the entrance to his quarters.

Time to find out just what the devil is going on, then.

Raising a hand, she knocked loudly on the door so that he'd be able to hear it even if he had shuffled his mortal coil – which Jaina highly doubted, but she did it just to make sure- and then waited.

No reply.

Banging even louder this time, Jaina could feel her already tenuous patience slipping away as her knuckles bit into the polished wood.

"Kael! _Kael! _I know you're in there!" She called inbetween knocks, refusing to give up. "Stop being such a child and open the door!"

Still no reply.

Kael regarded his door, which was shaking a little with the force in which Jaina was pounding on it, thinking that perhaps it would be a good idea if he answered lest it get destroyed and he be devoid of privacy until it got fixed. Though, something was still stopping him. He couldn't see her until he figured out just what he was going to do about th-

"Kael! If you're not going to open this, I'll open it myself!" Jana's voice called angrily from the other side of the door, and there was silence for a few moments, blissful silence. No knocking, no yelling.

It was then that Kael realized that he could see a faint red glow from under the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor, which could only mean that she planned to break her way in by _force_, using her magic.

Hurriedly, he strode over and yanked open the object which Jaina had been bent on getting past, one way or another, and glared down at her. His expression was angrier than he had intended, green eyes flashing dangerously, which was probably why she looked a little surprised when he appeared. The incantations of the spell died on her lips and the red glow faded from her open palms.

"Are you _trying_ to burn the academy down?" Kael hissed, part of him fuming whilst the other part tried to silence it, tried to stop it digging itself into a hole.

However, Jaina merely put her hands on her hips and met Kael's gaze every bit as angrily, a scowl on her own face.

"No," She replied, as the prince realized that her hands had, in fact, clenched into fists. "I'm _trying_ to find out why you left without an explanation, only to see that you're just locking yourself in your room and licking your imaginary wounds like you always are."

"_What? I-_…" Kael started, taking a step forward as his voice rose in fury. Something seemed to catch him though, his sentence trailing off before he got to say it. "I don't have time for this."

"Time for what?!" Jaina cried, blonde hair jumping slightly as she took her own step forward, not intending to be one-upped by her petulant friend. Really, what was the world coming to? Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself and her temper, even though Kael was doing a good job at fueling the fire of her anger. "Look."

Kael looked.

Putting herself aside for a moment as she considered the chance of there really being something wrong to cause the prince to act in such a way, Jaina attempted to reach out. Literally. A thin hand extended and took one of Kael's own, just like that day over a year ago- and if she noticed him flinch, she didn't say.

"Kael," She started, her voice a little quieter now that she had let her rage drain away. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong. We're friends, aren't we? So why can't you just say what's bothering you instead of acting like this?"

'_We're friends'_ echoed inside Kael's head like a maniacal laugh, making his features darken a little.

"Friends," He repeated bitterly, though not taking his hand out of Jaina's grasp- and then he sighed again, looking away. "… don't worry. Nothing's wrong, I'm just having a bad day. I apologize for my actions."

_What an awful liar_, Jaina thought to herself as she regarded him with skepticism, not believing a word of it. "You're obviously n-"

"Nothing's wrong." Kael said again, cutting her off. Reluctantly, he drew his hand away from her warm grip and turned. "I'll rest to cool my temper and perhaps see you in the library tomorrow. Good morrow to you, Jaina."

And with a flick of flaxen hair and a hand to the doorknob, he had disappeared back into his rooms, leaving Jaina standing outside, just as confused as she'd been before she had tried to destroy them.

_Nothing's wrong?_ Her inner monologue asked as she made her retreat, for now. _Pigs would fly, first._


	2. Chapter 2

After the strange incident in the library, it had taken a few days before Jaina laid eyes on her friend again. She had been sitting in the study alcove they normally occupied when he had mumbled a greeting and slid into the opposite seat, saying nothing of what had happened. Over the next couple of weeks, things seemed to revert back to a sense of normality, save for one thing. Kael always seemed distant now, as if something was on his mind. The blonde girl ached to ask him what the hell was going on, but she knew that it would be like squeezing water from a stone trying to get information out of the prince once his mind was made up.

No, instead she just put up with the 'yes, no, maybe' answers that he gave constantly and the inability to hold a conversation that lasted more than three sentences. It was _so frustrating_.

Though, perhaps the thing that puzzled Jaina the most was that even though something odd had obviously happened to Kael to put him in this sort of state and even though he didn't seem to want to converse with her very much, he always sook her out to spend time with her. More than once, she had looked up to catch him giving her a strange look that she couldn't describe. Before she had the chance to ask him just what it meant, he quickly averted his eyes and devoted his time to pretending that nothing had happened.

Jaina really was nearing the end of her tether, but for the sake of the friendship she _thought _they had, she bit her bottom lip and kept cutting words from escaping.

Currently, she was sitting in her quarters and pouring over a book that one of her tutors had given her, situated cross-legged on her bed. The exams were but a few days away and the common last-minute panic was beginning to settle in, as it always did with students. Jaina knew that she had the material down inside and out, but as always, there was a nagging doubt in the back of her mind that _perhaps_ there was something that she had missed, some small paragraph somewhere or some minor incantation.

She had spent the whole day alone so far, having made excuses to get out of studying with her other fellow mages – she always felt she did better on her own; although there had been a small hope deep down inside her that perhaps Kael would've come up and requested her presence in the library. It was almost all he said to her lately, come to think of it. He'd just turn up at her door and ask her if she'd like to accompany him, and then she'd follow him down where afterwards they would study for hours in silence.

Recently, his expression seemed to be constantly off-colour and it worried Jaina a little. She had only known him for about a year now, but still- she had never seen him like this before. His bright green eyes almost seemed sorrowful every time she got a chance to meet them, as if something laid heavy on his mind and she got a feeling that he was slightly distracted from his studies, as well. She had caught glimpses of him walking down the paths of Dalaran looking furious, mana orbs either in his hand or floating around him signalling that he had been practicing his arcane- though something about this situation told Jaina that whatever he'd been practicing hadn't gone as well as he would've liked.

With a sigh, Jaina's fingers curled around the old leather book cover and firmly shut it. If she couldn't keep her mind on her _own_ studies, then there was no point trying to cram information in. No… she needed to clear her head. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to go for a short walk as a break from all of this. The weather wasn't exactly favourable for walking, as rain was currently tapping gently against her closed window, but a little water had never stopped her before. The sound – and feel – of rain was comforting to her, and at the moment, a little comfort would be nice for a number of reasons.

Heaving herself off of her bed, she moved over her room to her coat-stand and shrugged on one of her cloaks, tying it securely around her neck. Once she was satisfied that she was well-equipped enough to venture outside, she disappeared from her room, leaving her books and notes lying forgotten on her bedcovers.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kael'thas was hiding.

Well, no, not really _hiding_, as such. More like he was recuperating in a rather… solitary way.

He had already spent half of his day in an incredibly mundane and boring meeting of the Kirin Tor, which had tested even _his_ tolerance for old men that loved to waffle on about nothing in particular, and right now he was just trying to gather his mental faculties back to him by spending a little time tucked away in a forgotten alcove in the Dalaran library. It was a section that people didn't often come to- probably because some student had spread rumours of a haunting, or something equally ridiculous – but Kael wasn't about to complain about the lack of company.

He was slouching forward slightly, elbow on the table and head resting on his hand as his brilliant green eyes stared listlessly out of the window next to him. It was usually around this time of day that he'd make the journey up to Jaina's rooms and invite her down here to study, but because of his duties he had (regretfully) been unable to do that. Kael understood that he needed to be present at the meetings of the Kirin Tor, though, and that he had a lot to attend to as the prince of his people. After all, he'd been brought up to a life of duty and responsibility- yet still a small part of him wished that he could just ignore them for a day.

So much was clouding his mind at the moment. His exams and assessments were set for the day after tomorrow, though they didn't trouble him much at all. Child's play, really. He would admit to himself reluctantly that a few simple spells had gone awry recently, but Kael was keen to peg that down to lack of concentration rather than lack of ability, and-

The prince's train of thought was interrupted when a familiar face wandered past the stained glass window. Well, not so much interrupted so much as derailed and _crashed_- but it was hard not to look at Jaina whenever he saw her now. She had a cloak clasped under her chin and a blank look on her face as she walked through the rain, droplets of water trickling down to the bottom of the oiled cloak and then falling towards the ground.

An impulsive urge to rush outside and gather her up in his arms shot through Kael so powerfully that his expression turned to surprise, and he averted his eyes from the passing visage to stop it. Brow furrowing slightly at his own lack of self control, he was about to get up out of his seat and vacate the building when another (less beautiful, to say the least) face slid into the vacant chair across from him.

Estyr. One of his royal 'advisors', and also someone that Kael'thas tried desperately to avoid at all costs. Not because he was a fan of shirking from duty, but because he was one of the most annoying people on the face of the planet. Arrogant, self-absorbed and most certainly a pain in the ass.

"Going somewhere?" The other high elf drawled as he arranged himself neatly in the seat he had just occupied. Whilst Kael'thas held no loss of love for the other, he was by no means 'ugly'- and he knew it. The bone structure of his face was noble, obviously denoting that he was from a high-ranking family, though his nose was just a little _too_ prominent to be considered handsome, making him look a little like a hawk. The small creases in the skin at the corners of his eyes was the only giveaway that he was probably quite a bit older than Kael, something that he'd probably never admit out loud. Long, waist-length flaxen hair was pulled neatly into a pony-tail at the back of his head, spilling over his shoulder as he leaned forward on the table, fingers clasping together as he regarded the rather melancholy looking prince.

"Not anymore." Kael grumbled, eyes not on Estyr, but instead on the slowly disappearing Jaina in the distance. As always, his advisor's timing was spectacular.

"Oh, really? Because it looks as if I just interrupted something. What's so interesting that you can't stop looking out of the window?"

"Nothing." The prince replied curtly, dragging his eyes away from the rainy scene in front of him to look at the other with a calculating glare. He'd already spent enough time with this man today during the Kirin Tor meeting, and he wasn't very eager to remain in his company. "Now, what do you want?"

"Always so haughty, Prince _Sunstrider_," Estyr countered in a mock-hurt tone, not phased in the least by Kael's irritability. "Why can't we just get along? It would make both of our lives so much easier."

Kael remained silent, refusing to reply and instead rolling his eyes, turning his head slightly to stare out of the window again. Estyr only waited a few moments before starting again, not caring about the lack of communication from his colleague.

"That aside," He continued, dropping the volume of his voice a little. "The situation in the north is reaching a critical junction. If it's not resolved soon, we're going to have to send some people up there to deal with it- after the seasonal exams, of course."

"I know." Kael's eyes lingered on the spot where Jaina had been just moments before, though his expression was one of barely concealed disinterest. Long fingers began to tap impatiently on the wood of the table they were both sitting at, creating a repetitive drumming sound. "We discussed this all morning, how could I forget? If that's all you have to tell me, then I think you've wasted your time in coming here."

His advisor frowned slightly at the scathing reply, but the attitude didn't disillusion him. "I received a messenger from your father but an hour ago."

_That_ snapped Kael'thas out of his daydream. "What?"

"He suggests that you'd be a perfect candidate to go and resolve the situation, since he thinks that you need more 'hands-on' experience; especially considering your future career," Estyr explained with an annoyingly nonchalant tone, regarding the prince with a level gaze. "He was also thinking of sending a few of the more senior Dalaran students as protection, just in case things turned a little _ugly_… though, I'm sure it'll be fine. The Kirin Tor was mentioned as an entourage, but he doesn't want things to get escalated- you know how hot-headed they can be, don't you?"

"Fath—Anasterian said this?"

"In not so many words. You of all people know that the political stage is unstable at the moment- and even a group of rogues skulking around in the hills could trigger something off-"

"Yes, yes." Kael'thas grumbled, waving a hand dismissively. He wasn't afraid of going out to a potentially dangerous situation; it was just that it was coming at an inconvenient time. Going into battle when you couldn't even concentrate on the easiest of spells was not the best idea, but who was he to refuse a direct command from his father? "I'll arrange to go in a couple of days, then. That should give enough time to organize an escort and to ensure the completion of the first semester exams in Dalaran, as well- is that satisfactory?"

"Quite." Giving the prince a rather predatory grin, Estyr leaned back in his chair, the crimson and gold robes of state that he was currently draped in rustling as he did so. "I'll coordinate with you early tomorrow, then, once I receive the list of possible candidates to accompany you from the Archmage. I spoke with him straight after I received the message."

"Spectacular." Kael mumbled darkly, the prospect of having to deal with advisor at such a time not being the most appealing thing he could think of. Thoroughly done with discussing such mundane matters, he moved to get up and leave from the table, having no further business. After all, he had exams to prepare for, didn't he? "I'll await your consul."

"And I'll await your attention."

Begrudgingly nodding in Estyr's direction, Kael excused himself from his seat, straightening up before leaving the shrouded alcove he had _originally_ come to for some solitude. Now it seemed as if he had a lot more on his mind than just his studies and Jaina. The weight on his mind showed as he navigated through labyrinth of bookshelves that made up the massive library by a slight frown creasing his brow, his emerald eyes appearing a lot duller than usual.

The situation was… tricky, to say the least. A little to the north, just past Hillsbrad and into the Alterac mountain range, there had been a few rumours of magi that had turned… mad. Not only were they dangerous due to both the power they wielded and the unpredictability of their movements, but civilians were starting to associate their erratic, violent behaviour with other Dalaran mages. The hatred they were stirring up by random killings, ambushes and 'accidents' was beginning to affect Dalaran's own reputation, something that could easily become a problem with the negative stigma that was getting attached to them.

What was even harder was to explain just what had turned them this way. There had been no explanation available as to why they had gone insane, which was probably what was worrying his father more than the fact that Dalaran's reputation was getting tarnished by proxy. Kael'thas was interested in politics and history, and therefore had studied the topics thoroughly over the years, under the watchful eyes of tutors back in his homelands. It was easy to see how a small situation like this could spiral out of control, having read about similar situations before- and the human saying, '_history repeats itself_' was constantly running through his mind- and, no doubt, Anasterian's.

It looked as though the next couple of weeks were going to be very… eventful, to say the least.  
Kael'thas only hoped that Estyr managed to assign a group of people to him that was tolerable so the mission could run all the more smoothly. Elune knows they needed all the help they could get.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

She had only gone on a short walk, cutting the length down because she had gotten the strangest feeling that someone had been watching her. Jaina had circled the gardens in the dreary weather, her flaxen hair now sticking wetly to her forehead despite the heavy cloak she had been wearing. Currently, it was hanging up where she had taken it from before she had gone, the leftover rain trickling down the creases of the fabric and dripping onto her floor.

It wasn't like she often got a feeling like someone had their eyes on her, either- no, there had been a certain electricity in the air that she couldn't quite place. Instead of feeling ill at ease and scared, it had felt familiar, like it was someone she knew- but that was preposterous. Really, what was she thinking? Perhaps all the studying she had been doing was finally going to her head and loosening the cogs up there. She wouldn't be surprised.

Letting loose a drawn-out sigh, Jaina gazed dejectedly at the books that were still littering her bed, just as she had left them. The walk had done little to calm her and the prospect of studying didn't particularly appeal to her right now, especially when her head was so unclear. Finally deciding to move over to her writing desk, she sat herself down at the proud oak table and pulled out a piece of parchment from a drawer to the left. She couldn't afford to be this way over the next few days- not with exams so close. Her father was proud to have her as his daughter and she had to maintain her studies so that she wouldn't disgrace him, so she was going to have to shake this.

Fingers curling around a quill that lay next to the inkpot in front of her, she paused momentarily before dipping the nib of the feather in. She figured it would be best to do what her mother had taught her to do, a failsafe that had worked so many times before. '_Perfect for clearing your head', _she could remember her mother saying, the memory distant but as clear as the day she had been told.

'_Write your thoughts down. Draw them out of your mind and onto the paper and it'll almost be like you're storing them somewhere else. It's an easy way to get rid of your worries, so why don't you try it, Jaina, dear?'_

Needless to say, with the responsibilities that Jaina had ended up piling upon herself- studies as a magi, the functions that she had been required to attend with her parents, upholding the family reputation- she had ended up with quite a few pieces of paper, all of which she kept in the bottom drawer of her desk. Of course, they were all piled neatly into a small pine-wood chest that she had locked with her magic (and double-checked, at that) and even though she felt slightly childish still following the habit like gospel, it _did_ seem to help her, funnily enough.

Drawing in a breath, her hand poised, Jaina touched the nib to the paper and began to write.

'_Kael has been acting odd, lately. It seems almost as if he's preoccupied with something that he can't quite figure out, but he refuses to talk about it, as stubborn and 'prince-like' as ever…'_


End file.
